The invention relates to a method and apparatus for detecting the presence of a container, such as a cup, and differentiating between various container sizes. The invention dispenses a product in response to the cup detection and has an automatic fill control responsive to the size of the cup and the amount of product dispensed. An automatic top-off function is also provided.
The present invention evolved during continuing development of a hands-free method of dispensing beverages into containers and minimizing human contact to both avoid the spread of communicable diseases, and provide a labor saving method and apparatus for dispensing beverages. An additional benefit of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus to minimize waste of the dispensed product by virtually ensuring that a cup will not be overfilled and that dispensing terminates immediately upon the start of cup removal.
Typically, beverage dispensing stations are actuated by a mechanical push rod or an electric push button switch to initiate dispensing. Such devices require human contact and therefore are capable of transmitting germs and communicable diseases. Further, it has become common in some restaurants to provide a beverage dispensing station accessible by the public for refills. In such cases, many people have access to the beverage station which increases the risk of spreading diseases and germs. It would therefore be advantageous and desirable to provide a dispensing station that is activated free of human contact and that does not require physical cup contact and therefore would prevent the spread of such diseases and germs.
For fast food restaurants commonly employ an individual dedicated to a beverage dispensing station during busy periods whose sole responsibility is to dispense beverages. Many common beverage dispensers require this employee to hold a cup against a mechanical push rod and hold it there until the cup is full. Therefore, even during slower periods, an employee must wait for each container to fill. It would be desirable in such circumstances to provide a method and apparatus to automatically detect the presence of a cup and differentiate the size of the cup and automatically dispense beverage into the detected cup until the cup is completely filled. Such a method and apparatus would free the dispensing station employee to perform other duties as well as operating the dispensing station.